Canadians and people coming to Canada from abroad to hike can underestimate the hazards and find themselves in serious trouble if they are not prepared.
It is a mistake to rely on a cellphone to call for help. Canada is a huge country and, outside of urban areas, cellphone coverage can be unreliable and batteries die quickly because of frequent roaming in search of service. Hikers may consider renting a satellite phone if they wish to be able to call for help.
Happy feet usually mean happy hiker, say experts. (iStock)
Forget the jeans, break in good boots before leaving
Weather can be unpredictable. What starts out as a sunny warm day, can turn into one with heavy rain, strong winds or even snow. So, proper clothing is essential.
Experts advise hikers to pack with great care. “You’re going to carry that pack with you all the time, so you don’t want to carry too much stuff,” says Nathalie Gauthier, manager at Great Canadian Trails, a company that provides self-guided hikes and guided hikes. “You don’t want it to be heavy, so you need to think smart. Bring some quick-drying clothes. Avoid jeans. Avoid cotton if possible.
“Probably the most important gear that you want to have is good walking boots. You want to have ankle support. It’s going to limit the injury you may have. And you want to make sure they’re broken in before. Don’t go out there with brand new boots. It’s going to be horrible. And make sure to have really good socks. If your feet are happy, normally the hiker is as well.”
Check out local conditions, weather and wildlife before you go on your hike, advises Nathalie Gauthier. (Great Canadian Trails)
Don’t get lost or stranded
It’s important to research the area before going on a hike, particularly if one is not going with a guide. “If you’re going on your own, you need to have a good map and some excellent navigation skills,” says Gauthier “If you don’t know how to read a map properly, we recommend that you go with a guide because in Canada we do have some great trails that are marked but a lot of them are not. So, you need to be able to read elevation. If you’re going on a coastal walk, you want to be able to read tide charts because they can leave you stranded in an area for quite a long time if you’re not going at the right time.”
The Long Range Mountains offer some spectacular hikes on the eastern island of Newfoundland. (Great Canadian Trails)
Do not feed the bears
It’s also a good idea to find what kind of wildlife you might encounter. Canada has plenty of small mammals like raccoons and skunks. There are also bears. Normally, animals will stay away if they hear you coming. Some hikers wear bells.
It’s important to secure food when camping. It can be contained and hung from a tree at night. One should to cook downwind from a tent so that cooking smells don’t permeate it and entice hungry animals.
Got lost? Don’t panic
If you get lost, Gauthier urges hikers to pause. “Most mistakes are done when people panic. They just go in any direction. They’re nervous…It’s really important to stay calm. Look where you are…Try to remember ‘when was the last time I knew where I was, can I get back to that point?’ Observe around you. Look for landmarks that can help you, if there’s water, a road, a mountain, elevation, anything that you can see on your map. And from there you can find your way.”
Gauthier says most of the time, if people observe their surroundings and stay calm, they find their way back. But she also suggests people carry whistles in case they need to call for help because the sound of a whistle carries much further and takes less effort to make.
The Chilkoot Trail in western North America is one of the continent’s most fabled. (Great Canadian Trails)
Go for it!
It is always important to leave an itinerary with someone so that if you don’t return on time they can alert local authorities to start looking for you.
Hiking in Canada can be a wondrous experience in spectacular surroundings and one that you will never forget, hopefully for all the right reasons.
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